Geneva Watch Days is in full swing, and Bianchet are among the first brands to strike, introducing two new ceramic takes on the Ultrafino Tonneau.
Welcome to Geneva Watch Days! By the time you see this article, we at WatchAdvice will be covering everything on the ground locally from Geneva itself. With 71 brands participating across the week-long festival, we’re certain to have our hands full, but that doesn’t mean we can’t let Australia know about the very best watches that will be showcased at the festival.
As opposed to Watches and Wonders, Geneva Watch Days is a more decentralised, relaxed event that incorporates the city as much as it does the brands that come to display their finest work. It’s also home to a significantly higher number of independent watch brands, which, unless you’re deep in the horological trenches, you’re bound to be surprised by, with incredible timepieces you may not even know existed.
One of those brands is Bianchet, founded in 2017 by husband-and-wife duo Rodolfo and Emmanuelle Festa Bianchet. While a couple’s watch brand might sound like a cute gimmick, the quality of work apparent within their brand is anything but. Adhering to the beauty of the Golden Ratio (1.618), they specialise in making complex timepieces packed into lightweight, aggressively sporty cases.
Of note is the Ultrafino Tonneau collection, building off the frame of the complex B.1618 tonneau case in a simpler context. I use the word ‘simpler’ in the relative sense, as at first glance it might be the last thing you’d use to describe these watches. In any case, their initial run in 2025 was met with critical acclaim, which has led them to continue expanding the Ultrafino Tonneau in new, ambitious directions. Geneva Watch Days 2026 is no different, as they have released two new interpretations of the model line in clean ceramic.
Barrelling Through
Measuring 40mm wide, 47.5mm across, and just 8.9mm thick, the new Bianchet Ultrafino Tonneau models in ceramic build on the collection’s past successes. Where in the past they’ve outfitted it with carbon fibre, titanium, gold, and even sapphire cases, this new release comes for the first time in vertically brushed high-tech ceramic.
This is well within Bianchet’s field of play, as ceramic’s extreme scratch resistance and shocking lightness continue to uphold the values of the luxury sports watch. Between the two new watches is a choice: the highly ostentatious white ceramic, or a more modest blue ceramic case, both of which have a crown and guards to match. To further accentuate their unique character, they’ve also been outfitted with rubber gaskets in blue and black respectively, further hammering home the sporty appeal.
The tonneau, or barrel, cases come with an integrated ceramic bracelet, flowing and tapering elegantly down to a butterfly clasp. If that’s not really your speed, don’t worry: Bianchet’s incorporated a quick-exchange system that allows you to swap the strap without the use of tools. Even better, they already give you a strap with which to do it, in either blue or black rubber depending on the reference. Water resistant to 50m, it’s strong enough to take on the rigours of daily wear, whilst maintaining its stylish look through any occasion or outfit.
Stripped Back
It’s hard to talk about the dual design of the Bianchet Ultrafino Tonneau because… well, there is none. But as you can see, that’s hardly a bad thing. Continuing the sporty theme, Bianchet have effectively stripped back both the dial and the movement, making the latter a central part of the display. The openworked skeleton dial remains functional amidst all the moving parts, though, as bridges are accented to contrast against the rhodium machinery.
For the white ceramic, Bianchet has equipped it with bright blue bridges, alongside a white minute track and rhodium-plated stick hands. The blue ceramic model shares the same hands, but this time finished in black to match the bridges of its openworked dial.
Perhaps the feature attraction of the watch is the flying tourbillon, which orbits at six o’clock, giving an added sense of dynamism to the watch. Despite all these aggressive aesthetics, the watch still remains markedly legible and functional. Lumed indexes can be found at three, four, five, eight, nine, and ten o’clock, pointed out by similarly lumed hands, while the minute track fits chunky markings into where each hour lands.
Whirlwind Of A Time
But both the ceramic case and accents of the dial pale in comparison to the beauty of the movement. The Cal. UT01 is Bianchet’s in-house weapon of choice, beating at a steady 3Hz (21,600VpH) atop a 60-hour power reserve. Fairly standard stat line, sure, but that’s only if you’re looking at it on paper.
In reality, the movement is a monster, operating the flying tourbillon within a pared-back construction. Ensuring the stability of a constantly rotating and vibrating component is hard enough, but that challenge is only exacerbated when you begin to progressively slice out sections of the movement.
Despite this, the Cal. UT01 remains stable under rough movement, able to withstand shocks of up to 5,000G. This does essentially mean that the movement is drop-proof, but if I owned one of these watches, I wouldn’t be too keen to test that theory myself.
Initial Thoughts
With the backdrop of Geneva Watch Days, Bianchet’s latest foray into high-luxury sports watches is incredible to behold. The tonneau case is one of my favourite shapes in watchmaking, and I’m always psyched to see watches use the case to its maximum potential.
Back last year, upon the release of the original Ultrafino Tonneau line, I said that Bianchet was a rising star in such a niche. Since then, it’s remarkable to see how far the collection has come, transforming in ways hardly ever seen in the wider watch industry. Combined with the sculptural architecture of the Cal. UT01 and the use of vibrant ceramics, these new watches from Bianchet are bound to become a highlight of the week’s proceedings.
References & Specifications
| Feature | Specification |
|---|---|
| Reference | TNUFFTSKCMW (White Ceramic) TNUFFTSKCMDB (Blue Ceramic) |
| Dimensions | 40mm case diameter x 47.5mm lug-to-lug x 8.9mm thickness |
| Case | White / blue ceramic with blue / black rubber gaskets |
| Dial | Openworked skeleton with blue / black accents |
| Crystal | Sapphire |
| Caseback | Open, sapphire |
| Movement | Automatic Cal. UT01 with tourbillon complication |
| Power Reserve | 60h |
| Beat Rate | 3Hz / 21,600VpH |
| Water Resistance | 50m / 5bar |
| Strap/Bracelet | Interchangeable integrated white / blue ceramic bracelet with butterfly clasp Complementary interchangeable blue / black rubber strap with titanium pin buckle |